St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-04-07
A rRIP no CALIFoRNIA---No. ".

the Noble Red Man.
On bright Monday morning, March
81, the train pulled ont of Ell Paso,
Texas, headed westward, crossed the
muddy Rio Grande aud entered the
territory of New Mexico. will hasten
over this country much more rapidly
than the train did, as there is nothing
along the line to distinguish it from
western Texas. There were the same
kind of fruits-sand, sage-brush and
cacti-that had already satiated the
party. In tue early evening we cross
ed into the territory of Arizona and
scarcely regretted the oblivion thrown
over everything for the next ten hours.
Tuesday morning still found the
train spinning over the sandy plains /;
but the scenery changes. The noun
tains are sharper and grander-mOre
like the Colorado peaks. Some of
their outlines are fashioned in fantas-
tic shapes. 1t is during the ride
through this territory that the mirage
that singular optical illusions seen
in such perfection. With nothing be-
tween the train and mountain range,
miles away, but whitish sand and cac-
ii, it occasionally appeared as though
the base of the mountains were skirted
with a meandering river or lake,
whose banks nodded with living trees.
In fact there was not drop of water
in many miles.
At Yuma the train stops half an
hour and all hands inspect the savage
red mainland woman and papOOse too.
Just across the river is an Indian re-
servatiOn, and each arriving train in
vites a score or two of Yuma Indians
over to see the pale-face and to mar
ket bows and arrows and various
trinkets. These particular Indians
give one of the best ideas of the typical
red man have ever seen-tall, broad
shouldered, sinewy; with large and
rather repulsive features, some of them
made more ugly looking by the strip
y
paint-but with the Indian Indifference
(shall it be called dignity p marked in
every look and motion. They are not
clearly or wholesome looking, but
they are the typical savage. 1t was an
interesting half hour, and in cOntem-
plating the scene one could hardly re-
sist the thought that it is much easier
and more agreeable to visit them in
this way, with a "RaymOnd," than to
take up ones home with them as a
missionary, as good men and women
are constantly dOing-of whom the
world is not worthy.
Leaving Yuma the train at once
crosses the Colorado river and enters
the extreme south eastern portion of
California and the section known as
the great Colorado desert at the same
time. This desert differs from the
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona arti-
Gle already described, in being on a
lower level-in fact it is said to be the
only land lower than the ocean. The
road descends gradually until near
Frink's Springs when it is 263 feet be-
low sea-level. All this depression is
supposed to have once been the gulf of
California which must have extended
many hundred miles further north than
at present.
At IndiO the train stops for dinner,
and the excursiOnists, who have al
ready dined, have half an hour to see
this little oasis in the desert, for
such it really is. Water has been
brought here and little spot has been
made to blossom as the rose. Cows
were feeding in alfalfa up to their eyes
and they looked as though they gave
cows milk-a rare commodity West,
by the way-and semitrOpical plants
were in abundance about the little sta
ton village. All this indicates that
the one thing this land needs is water.
The mercury on the side of the station
indicated 90 in the shade, but SO dry is
the atmosphere no northern man would
think it over 80.
From what precedes in this letter no
one need receive the impression that
the ride from Ell PasO has been devoid
of interest. There is mOnotOny, yet
there are so many interesting and
strange things one cannot tire. Espe-
cially is this true when one considers
the many wonders of this section, and
the fact (if it be fact) that it was
once peOpled by a prehistoric race.
Many scientific men assert that this re-
agricultural and vast mining opera
tiOns. Here and there throughout Ar
iona and New Mexico are ruins of
what must once have been quite pre-
tentiOus dwellings and Notifications.
Many claim that what is now an arid
desert once gave sustenance to thou
sands and thousands of people. Wheth-
er this once prosperous people in this
once fertile land were swept from the
earth by flame like that which destroy
ed SOdOm and GOmOrrah or by a flood
like the deluge of Noah's time, or were
swallowed up like KOrah's proud troop,
no one rises to say but that they
prove.
After leaving Indio aud the low de-
preston of which it is the Drincinal